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It's always hard to tell which MAKE project will be the one that lots and lots of folks make and then share, it looks like for volume 10 a lot of makers are going tabletop biosphereing.
Here's one from our labs, over 5 months and going strong! - Link.
Here are a few photos from the Sparks Research Group - Link.
And this one from Cephalopodcast! They also took some nice macro photos - Link.
More:
Weekend project, make your own tabletop biosphere - Link.
From the pages of MAKE:
The Tabletop Shrimp Support Module (TSSM) is a fun demonstration of the ecological cycles that keep us alive. MAKE 10 - page 110. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition - Link or subscribe to MAKE.
Thanks. I had fun with this project. Also made a short video to go with it.
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Although it's difficult to get actual large organisms or aquatic life into the bottle, you should note that there is micro-organisms like plankton living in the water. If you combine this with say a small lamp overhead (emulates sunlight) you could potentially make it hospitable for a wider variety of life forms. Just remember that living plants are a necessity since they produce oxygen, without which your organisms will die.
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THE BIOSPHERE AND THE SHRIMP
Ok, so I used fresh river water and the water that came with the shrimp. All the bugs and plants lived except the shrimp. I've tried it twice, and both shrimp died. The first biosphere lasted a week, and the second lasted only two days. The second time, I put a water thermometer in the biosphere jar to see if the water was too hot for the shrimp. The water temperature was 30 degrees C.
I want to know why both shrimp died.
I would be thankful for anyones suggestion.
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Hi BubbleJar, sorry to hear about your experience. From what you've written I notice there are two places you have diverged from the recipe in the article. You used river water instead of "nitrate poor freshwater," which may have been loaded with nutrients and therefore contributed to an algal bloom, reducing the amount of oxygen available to your largest animals. Also, your temperature (30 C or 86 F) is higher than recommended by the article. I believe the Amano shrimp are a temperate and not a tropical species so their tolerance to high heat may be poor. There's a reason for practically every detail in the article, so if it's at all possible for you to follow it exactly, please give that a shot. While it's not guaranteed, your chances may be better. -mjb
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I'm the kid in the Sparks Research Group picture. It's been 37 days now and everything is A-OK. Shrimp have already molted. Found a lot of baby snails.
Thanks for the project!
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